Sonic Adventure
by nintendofreakgcn
Summary: A novelisation of Sonic Adventure. Rated PG13 just to be safe. Read and Review.
1. Prologue

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Sonic Adventure

Prologue: The Coming of Chaos

The seven emeralds are the servers,

Chaos is power, enriched by the heart.

The controller serves to unify the chaos.

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Angel Island. A seemingly normal island. In fact, it would be normal island if it wasn't for two things: the fact that it's floating in the air, and the fact that it holds a power like none other: the Master Emerald. Since the dawn of time, this sacred Emerald has been on Angel Island, keeping it in the air. The Master Emerald is in itself an object of great power, but few know that it holds a power far greater, a power that could destroy the world.

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The rain poured down hard on Angel Island. The only thing louder than the rain was the sound of the thunder. Amidst all this noise, a large aircraft was able to move through the air, seemingly without making any noise. 

Dr Ivo Robotnik stood on the bridge of the Egg Carrier, staring out into the night. Bringing himself back to reality he turned around to his fine crew: the E-100 series. There was E-105 Zeta, the chief engineer; E-104 Epsilon, the ship's science officer; E-103 Delta, the ship's navigator; and of course, there was E-102 Gamma, who was second-in-command of the vessel. There was no doubt that Gamma deserved that position. Ever since Dr Robotnik had first activated him, it had been clear that there was something special about him. The fact that he defeated E-101 Beta, who was seemingly superior, was evidence of this. As Robotnik had put it, Beta was now being used for "spare parts." 

As the Egg Carrier neared Angel Island, Dr Robotnik directed his gaze to a stone tablet lying before him. The writing on it was in a strange, ancient language, but Epsilon had been able to translate it. In English, it read,

"The seven emeralds are the servers,

Chaos is power, enriched by the heart,

The controller serves to unify the chaos.

Chaos, god of destruction,

Powered by the servers, 

Trapped within the controller.

With all seven servers

It is invincible."

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I am Knuckles the Echidna, but just call me Knuckles.

For as long as I can remember, I've been here on this dark island, protecting the Master Emerald. I don't why I was chosen to do this, why it was my fate to be here...forever.

They say a watched door never opens. To apply that to my situation, a watched Emerald is never attacked. So it came to pass that, rather than my countless hours of guarding the Master Emerald, it would be during one hour of rest that the danger would strike. 

I don't know for sure what happened, all I know is that by the time I woke up, the Master Emerald had been shattered, and standing between me and the fragments was the strangest creature I had ever seen. Its body seemed to be made of water, its eyes were like green gems, and its shape was unlike anything of this world. And yet, in spite of its strangeness, I couldn't help but feel as if I'd known it all my life, as if it had been standing beside me since the day I was born.

All I knew for sure though, was that this creature was some how connected to the Master Emerald being shattered. So I attacked it, more out of rage than for any real purpose. But its speed and power took me by surprise. I was sent flying to the bottom of the shrine. Knowing I had to be more careful, I dashed back up the steps, but it had transformed into what could only be described as a giant drip. It then vanished, leaving no trace that it had ever been here, none except the shattered Master Emerald before me. 

As if on cue, Angel Island started to fall. It was only then that I had fully realised what had happened: I had failed.


	2. Enter Sonic

A/N: Thanks to those who reviewed, especially Zack Anderson. In response to that review, that first person thing is just something I'll put in at certain points in the fanfic, and there will be dialogue in the other parts. I like the idea of the flashback chapters, and have already thought of a point in the fanfic where I can put the one you suggested. Now, I realised that I didn't put in a disclaimer in the previous chapter, so here it is.

Disclaimer: I don't own Sonic the Hedgehog or any related characters, games, etc. They are the property of Sega and Sonic Team.

Warning: This chapter starts with a scene that is considerably more gruesome than your standard Sonic the Hedgehog stuff. If you do not wish to read it, simply skip down to the next section (indicated by a line of dashes).

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Chapter 1: Enter Sonic

The scream echoed through the alley and dissipated out into the street. In this part of town, no one paid it any mind: it was a common occurrence. It was a corner of Station Square where few dared to tread, a corner where the law meant nothing. But few around that night realised that what was going on in that back alley wasn't as normal as it seemed. For the scream came not from a human, but from a chao.

Suddenly, the screaming stopped, and the sobbing began. The chao now lay in a bloody heap in a trashcan at the end of the alley. A menacing silhouette glared at the chao.

"Serves you right for losing, you useless piece of shit," said the figure, who, judging by his gruff voice, was clearly a man. Little did the man know that he was being watched. As the man turned to leave the alley, he saw what was undoubtedly the weirdest thing he'd ever seen. Standing between him and the street was six-foot tall, humanoid figure. All the man could really see of this figure were two green eyes and its brain (needless to say, that crept him out). The rest seemed to be almost clear. 

"Whoa, you don't see many people with multi-million dollar costumes around here. Halloween's already past, bud." The figure didn't respond. It merely raised its arm (or what appeared to be its arm). Suddenly, the arm shot out and impaled the man's chest. Now he was screaming. Then he screamed harder as his chest began to rot away. The gaping hole in his chest expanded, consuming his body until there was nothing left. The figure then returned its arm to its original position. It walked over to the trashcan, but it was too late: the chao was already in a grey cocoon. The figure watched in silence as the cocoon slowly faded away, leaving nothing, no sign that the chao had ever existed. The figure turned away: the sight was like poison to him. He collapsed into a puddle-like form and seeped away from the alley and down into the sewers. 

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It was night time at Station Square: the time for a bit of rest and relaxation. Some people went home, some went to the casino, some went to Twinkle Park and some people just stood around and looked at the stars. There was one who didn't do any of these things though. In fact, what he was doing wouldn't be called relaxation at all by most people.

A blue blur zipped along the rooftops of Station Square. One would be forgiven for thinking that it was a laser. In actuality it was Sonic the Hedgehog. He had just come back from vacation and was doing what he loved most: performing death-defying stunts at ridiculously high speeds. 

Sonic screeched to a halt just in time to avoid falling off the roof of the train station. It was good to be back.

"Yeah, this is happening," he said, pleased with himself. A wailing siren snapped him out of his pride-induced state. "What's that?" he said to himself. Looking down, he saw half a dozen police cars tearing down the road towards city hall. He knew it had to be serious, as it was rare to ever have police cars using their sirens in Station Square. "Better check it out," he thought as he dashed towards city hall.

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By the time Sonic got there, the police were already in retreat. It was easy to see why. They had just emptied an entire payload of bullets into this creature, and it wasn't even fazed. The creature looked like it was made of water, and it was possible to look right through it. Sonic could even see what he supposed was its brain. He had never seen anything like it.

"Hey, this might be fun," he said as he dropped down to confront the strange creature. The creature shot its arm out, but hit nothing. It had no time to react before the spiny blue ball that was Sonic slammed right into its head. It literally splattered, leaving nothing but a puddle.

"Is that all you've got?" Sonic mocked. The next instant he was face-down on the floor. The creature had reformed, and was about to land on top of him. Sonic quickly rolled out of the way and launched another attack of his own. The creature splattered again, but Sonic was ready this time, grabbing hold of a nearby flagpole and swinging on it to gather speed. Then, just as the creature reformed, Sonic let go of the pole and launched himself at the creature at an incredible speed. The creature dodged and Sonic couldn't stop fast enough, causing him to run right up the wall of City Hall. He then launched himself off the wall soaring to a height of over 50 metres. 

As he looked down at the ground, he saw that the creature had somehow climbed up to the top of the flagpole. Suddenly, it shot both of its arms out. Sonic dodged them, then as the creature aimed for another strike, he curled up into a ball and launched himself at the creature. The creature struck Sonic with both of his arms, but they simply slipped off, unable to get a grip on the hedgehog who was rapidly approaching. Sonic hit the creature at nearly the speed of sound, sending it off the flagpole and slamming them both into the ground. When the dust had settled, there was a large crater where the pavement used to be. Sonic slowly climbed out as his senses returned to him. Then he saw the creature in its puddle form. He couldn't believe it, that blow would have killed anyone else. The puddle slowly crept away towards a drain.

"Hey come back here, you big drip!" he yelled as the creature seeped down into the sewers. "What the hell was that thing anyway?" Sonic thought as he walked over to where the police officers were just coming out of their hiding spots.

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If Sonic had though to look back, he would have seen a large, egg-like silhouette standing on the top of City Hall. It was the figure of Dr Robotnik. 

When the police left the area, he shouted at the top of his lungs, "Fool! It is Chaos, God of Destruction!" Robotnik had now seen the incredible power that Chaos possessed. Even in its most basic form, it was able to put up a decent fight against Sonic, even if it was only for a short time. He couldn't wait to see its final form. Chaos would then be invincible, and obey him. He started laughing to himself, quietly at first, then picking up in volume, until finally it reached a volume so loud that it filled the air as much as his silhouette filled the sky. "MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"


	3. The Race Begins

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Chapter 2: The Race Begins

The grey plane flew majestically over Station Square. The wind blew in the young pilot's face. But it didn't bother him. He lived for the feeling of freedom that could only be felt when one was flying, free of the pressures of the world. The pilot was none other than Miles "Tails" Prower (known to his friends and enemies as Tails), the side-kick of Sonic the Hedgehog and all-around whiz kid. 

Tails checked the various displays on the inside of the cockpit. Everything seemed to be going just as he had hoped. His new prototype plane was faster, more manoeuvrable and more energy efficient than anything he had flown before. As if to prove this point, Tails performed a tight barrel roll. He laughed to himself.

"Just wait until Sonic sees this beauty," he said. "For once he might be lagging behind me!" Tails knew that there was little or no chance of that happening. Sonic was probably the fastest thing on the face of the Earth. He could probably run around the world in the time it took most people to complete a 1 kilometre run. But it didn't hurt to dream. 

Tails heard a snap, followed by a small explosion. He could see smoke coming out of the front of the plane. The plane began to drop steeply towards the streets. Tails screamed, but then gritted his teeth and tried to pull the plane out of its mad descent. It wasn't working. Tails could see the traffic below, and he was getting dangerously close to it. If he crashed now, he would probably take half the street with him. He closed his eyes and kept pulling back. He opened them again quickly when he heard a crunch. He hadn't crashed, but it was nearly as bad. One wing had literally been torn off by a passing car. He finally managed to pull the plane off the road, but he had no control over where the plane was going. The plane was spinning wildly, and Tails vision had become a complete blur. He could just make out a faint wall of sheer rock. Tails let out an eep. He was going to crash into a cliff. This was the end. Tails shut his eyes tight as he felt the wind pass him by as he headed for the cliff. 

Then he suddenly felt close to weightless. He heard what must have been the sound of his plane exploding. So why wasn't he dead? The answer came with a loud thud as he hit the ground. Then he heard a voice say, "Don't that to me again, bud." He recognised that voice. It was the voice of Sonic.

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There were times when Sonic just didn't understand Tails. This was one of those times. Tails had just narrowly escaped death, and yet there he was, searching through the rubble. It didn't make any sense.

"What are you looking for anyway?" Sonic asked, hoping to receive a vaguely sane answer.

"Well that plane was a prototype I've been designing with superior speed and handling," Tails replied. "And I'm trying to find the fuel supply."

"What?" Sonic yelled in disbelief. "What sort of fuel supply wouldn't you be able to replace?"

"This!" Tails exclaimed in triumph with his hand held high in the air. In his hand was magnificent purple jewel. It glowed with a magnificent radiance. Sonic let his jaw drop in disbelief.

"Is that a chaos emerald?" he said, his hand shaking as he pointed at the jewel. 

"Yep, I was lucky enough to find one on one of my test flights."

"Some guys have all the luck. But why on earth would you want to use a chaos emerald to power your plane?"

"Well, as I'm sure you know by now, the chaos emeralds have infinite power, and I thought that if I could harness that power, then I could use it to power a new and better plane."

"Yeah, but I think you overestimated your mechanical genius there, bud."

"Maybe, but I think I know what the problem is. I'm heading over to my workshop near the Mystic Ruins to work on it. Do you want to come along."

"Yeah sure. I need something to do today." 

"Well come on then, we'll take the train. It's the quickest way there."

"I doubt it," Sonic though to himself as they walked to the train station, unaware of what awaited them at the Mystic Ruins. 

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The train slowly came to a stop. AS the doors opened Sonic and Tails quickly stepped out.

"About time," Sonic said in frustration. "There's no way that could be the fastest way to get here."

"Yeah, well it may not be the fastest way for you, but it sure is the fastest way for me," Tails replied.

"Alright, I get the idea. But why one earth does your workshop have to be all the way out here?

"I like some peace and quiet when I'm working on stuff. Besides, there's an archaeological team here searching for the ruins, and they always seem to be breaking their equipment, so I can make some money repairing them. Come on, let's go."

"Lead the way."

Tails looked around. The ar5ea was covered with mountains and cave on one side that made it difficult to get into the jungle where the ruins were located. He remembered that the archaeological team had spent months digging a tunnel through, and it was only completed that quickly because of a rogue badnik. Typically, in about a week Tails finished work on a laser that could have blasted through the mountain in seconds. It was always like that. As soon as they finished a job, Tails found a way of doing it faster. 

Tails waved to the leader of the expedition as he walked past. The man was staring at a mountain. Tails stopped in his tracks. He was sure that that mountain hadn't been there yesterday. Sonic looked back, as he had outpaced Tails even at walking speed.

"Come on Tails, we don't have all day," Sonic yelled. "What's keeping you?"

"Oh it's nothing," Tails said, shaking his head. He quickened his pace to catch up to Sonic. However, as he walked up the steps to his workshop he couldn't stop thinking about that mountain. How could a mountain appear out of nowhere? He decided he'd have to look into it later. 

Tails and Sonic finally reached the top. Tails' workshop was within sight, just on the other side of this patch of bare ground. The workshop appeared small on the outside, about the size of a shed, but it had a massive basement beneath it where Tails kept all of his projects. He knew that he'd have to expand soon, as the workshop was getting crowded. 

Tails' thoughts were interrupted by a loud drone above. Sonic and Tails looked up to see a spherical object in the sky. The moved rapidly down and stopped a few inches above the ground. Tails flinched. In the cockpit of the vehicle was a large man wearing a red jacket, with a small head and large, bushy moustache. It was Dr Robotnik, known to many as Dr Eggman.

"Look, a big talking egg!" Sonic mocked. He was always like that when it came to Robotnik. Tails wished he had the guts to stand up to Robotnik like that.

"Silence!" Robotnik bellowed. "I am Dr Robotnik, the greatest scientific genius in the world!"

"Yeah right, Eggman."

"I have a brand new plan to take over the world, and it involves the Chaos Emeralds. If I'm not mistaken, and I never am, isn't that one in your hand, Tails?" Robotnik grinned.

Tails looked at the purple jewel in his hands. He couldn't let Robotnik get his hands on it. There was no telling what he might use it for. "There's no way you're getting this, Eggman!"

"Well, I asked nicely," Robotnik said quietly, "so now I'll just have to take it by force!" He pressed a button on the control panel of his craft. Two missile launchers popped out on the back of the craft, and two massive stinger appeared on the sides. Tails didn't bother to wonder how he managed to fit those in. Robotnik was even better with machines than him, so it was no wonder that he could do something like that. "Let's see you beat this!"

No sooner had he said that, Sonic and Tails disappeared. The missile launchers and stingers fell off as Sonic landed. Robotnik was seething as Sonic looked up. Robotnik followed Sonic's gaze just in time to see Tails' feet smash into his head and send the craft hurtling into the ground. The craft lay there, smoke coming out of the tiny engine. 

"Well that was easy," Tails said as he went back to Sonic with the purple Chaos Emerald in his hands. He heard a laugh behind him and turned around just in time to see a mechanical claw snatch the jewel. The claw retracted back into Robotnik's craft, and he grabbed the Chaos Emerald with glee. The craft hovered back into the air.

"Chaos, oh Chaos!" Robotnik called. A puddle appeared near Robotnik, and out of it rose a creature all too familiar to Sonic.

"It's that monster I saw yesterday," he said.

"Monster?" Tails whispered in fear. 

"Now Chaos, time to eat!" Robotnik said as he threw the Chaos Emerald at the creature. The emerald passed into the body of the creature. Then it began to change. It increased in size slightly, and its right arm grew. Its face also appeared more menacing.

"Yes!" Robotnik yelled. "His strength increases every time I give him a Chaos Emerald. With all seven in him, he'll be invincible. And he'll work for me! Then I shall use him to destroy Station Square. There I will build Robotnikland, the ultimate city from which I shall begin my conquest of the world. Now if you don't mind, I have to go get more Chaos Emeralds! Farewell!" Robotniks ship began to ascend.

"Not on your life, Eggman!" Sonic said as he charged at the scientist. He leapt into the air, determined to bring Robotnik crashing down. He was suddenly batted aside and sent crashing to the ground. Sonic saw Chaos standing there, his arm outstretched. That was twice now that Chaos had gotten the drop on him. As the creature turned into his puddle form and seeped into the ground, Sonic swore to himself that it wouldn't happen again. 

Tails came running up to Sonic. "Are you okay?" he asked with a worried look on his face.

"Yeah," Sonic replied with a groan. He leapt to his feet. "If Chaos gets any stronger, we're in big trouble. We've got to get the Chaos Emeralds before Eggman does."

"I heard a rumour that someone detected a massive energy source around here recently."

"Then let's go!" Sonic and Tails ran, hoping that their legs would lead them to a Chaos Emerald. The race had begun.

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My worst fears have been fulfilled: Chaos has risen again. The can be no doubt about it. I saw him transform when that madman gave him a Chaos Emerald. How can he not see that Chaos will eventually stab him in the back and proceed to destroy the world?

I remember that day, when Chaos nearly destroyed the world, like it was yesterday. As far as I'm concerned, it was. I've been sealed with him in the Master Emerald for all that time. It is clear that sealing him away has not solved anything.

If Chaos gets all the Chaos Emeralds, then the world is doomed. With the Master Emerald shattered, there is no way to seal him away. But perhaps I can help this new guardian of the Master Emerald to restore it. 

However, that must take second priority. The most important thing is to stop Chaos from getting the rest of the emeralds. That hedgehog and that fox that I saw before seem to have the courage to gather the emeralds and defend them. However, they clearly do not understand the immense power that Chaos possesses. I must make them aware of it. Only then will they understand the importance of their quest. And only then can they hope to succeed. And succeed they must. For if they fail, then there will be no stopping the age of Chaos

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A/N: Sorry that I've taken so long posting this chapter up. I've been really busy with exams at school and such. Fortunately, I'm on summer vacation now (the joys of living in the southern hemisphere!), so I should be able to have more frequent updates.

By the way, if you want me to review a fanfic of yours, then simply say so in a review. However, I should warn you that I only really know stuff about video game series that are on Nintendo consoles.


	4. Showdown at Station Square

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Chapter 3: Showdown at Station Square

The rain poured down through the jungle canopy, hitting the roof of small shelter near the Mystic Ruins. A few drops leaked through the roof, hitting the mass of purple and white fur that was lying on makeshift bed. This mass of fur was also known as Big the Cat. Big awoke with a yawn. His eyes shot open when he realised that Froggy, his pet frog and best friend, was not with him. He sat up and looked around. He could just see Froggy through the mass of trees. But Froggy looked strange. He had a tail, and Big knew that he didn't have a tail yesterday. 

"Hey Froggy," Big said in his trademark slow voice. " You look a little weird, buddy. What's with the tail?" Froggy didn't seem to be paying any attention to Big. Its eyes were fixed upon a yellow jewel that lay upon a stump that Big used as a table. In a flash, he was on the stump. Its jaws opened wide, and moved towards the jewel. Then, with one quick motion, it swallowed it.

"Hey, you ate my lucky charm," Big moaned. Froggy began hopping away. "Hey, come back here. What's wrong with you?" Big began chasing Froggy as fast as his legs could carry him (which wasn't very fast at all). He had to catch Froggy. The frog meant everything to him. So he continued chasing him through the jungle.

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The doors to Casinopolis opened. Sonic and Tails walked out. They now had two chaos emeralds. They had found one in Windy Valley and one in the casino. Needless to say, they were anxious to find the next one. Tails turned on his scanner. He frowned.

"The scanner's picking up a signal in the mountains near the Mystic Ruins," he said. "But it's pretty weak."

"What?" Sonic replied. "How did the scanner miss that one? We just came from the Mystic Ruins."

"Well, I think there was a blizzard going through the area when I scanned before. That probably interfered with the signal."

"Oh great," Sonic groaned. "Don't tell me we're going to have to deal with snow. Snow slows me down too much. Besides, I don't like the cold."

"Well, if the weather's cleared up around there, then we might be able to take the Tornado. Besides, we have to get the Chaos Emeralds before Eggman."

"My hears are burning," said a raspy voice. Sonic and Tails weren't surprised to see their archenemy, Dr Robotnik, staring at them in his usual overconfident manner. 

"Honestly Eggman," Sonic said, "just because you're a talking egg doesn't mean you have to try and cook yourself." Sonic could barely hold in his laughter at that joke. He would have to remember that one. "But if you insist, I like my eggs scrambled. Easier to eat on the go, you know?" Once again, he struggled to hold in the laughter. He was on a roll.

"Anyway," Robotnik said, gritting his teeth, "I believe you have something of mine. Sow why don't you just hand over the Chaos Emerald and I'll go on my merry old way." 

"You never learn, do you Eggman?" Sonic and Tails assumed battle stances, ready to let Robotnik make the first move. Sonic grinned to himself.

"Nope," Robotnik said calmly. He pressed a button and before Sonic and Tails could react, a heavy cloud of gas was sprayed over them. They had fallen right into his trap. Tails was already down and out, and Sonic was wobbling a lot.

"Eggman" the hedgehog managed to utter before collapsing on the ground, unconscious. Robotnik let out a laugh. He then calmly walked over to Tails and took the Chaos Emerald out of the fox's hand. He then flew away, deciding to leave them alive so as to pit them against Chaos later on.

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"Gotcha!" came the triumphant cry of Knuckles as he grabbed the piece of the Master Emerald with a stunning display of acrobatics. Although he still couldn't understand how three pieces of the Master Emerald could wind up inside Casinopolis. They were probably going to be given out as prizes. Knuckles was just glad that he had found them before they had spread out further. "Well, that's six pieces down," he thought to himself as he headed for the exit, " and I don't sense any more around here." Knuckles had developed an uncanny sixth sense that drew him toward the Master Emerald at all times. He had never imagined that he would have to use it at a time like this. 

Knuckles was snapped out of his train of thought by a bright red light circling around him. It gradually began to circle him faster and faster until it looked like there was one ring of light surrounding him. Then suddenly there was a bright flash.

When Knuckles managed to regain his vision, he found himself standing before what looked like an ancient city. He had never seen anything quite like it, and yet it somehow seemed familiar to him. That large structure in the centre of the city seemed to ring a bell to him, that was for sure. Knuckles began to walk further into the city, almost independently of his own free will. It was almost as if he were being guided by a greater force. As he came near to that large, seemingly familiar structure, he could many echidnas walking around. Had he finally found his own people?

But these echidnas didn't even seem to notice Knuckles. He was hard pressed to dodge the constant stream of traffic. The strange force continued to lead him, until eventually he was on the opposite side of the city from where he had started. 

Before him now there stood an old, slightly pudgy male echidna, and a much younger female echidna. At least, Knuckles thought that the younger echidna was female. He had never actually seen a female echidna before, so he wouldn't know. But his attention was now drawn to the staff that the elderly echidna was holding. Could it be a sign of authority? Knuckles was now fairly sure that this echidna was the leader of this city, although he still couldn't be completely sure. He was about to walk up and talk to the elderly echidna when the younger one began speaking.

"Father, please don't do this, Father!" the young female echidna said. 

"Sorry, Tikal," came the reply, "but we need the emeralds to give us total power!"

Knuckles jumped at the mention of emeralds. Could the elderly echidna be referring to the chaos emeralds? The notion of needing them for power certainly supported this idea.

"Father, don't you see?" Tikal said pleadingly. "Attacking other peoples, destroying their villages. This can't be the path to peace." The father didn't move a muscle. Then there was another flash, and Knuckles was back at Casinopolis. 

"Well, that was weird," Knuckles said to himself as he walked outside. As he began to go for a walk to clear his head, he saw Sonic and Tails lying on the footpath, asleep. Sonic was snoring loudly. "What are those guys doing anyway?" Knuckles asked to no one in particular. He shook his head. The antics of Sonic and Tails were none of his concern, especially at a time like this. So he walked off, now more confused than ever.

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For reasons that would forever remain unknown to him, Knuckles' feet led him to the Station Square hotel. Seeing as how he didn't know where to look next for pieces of the Master Emerald, he decided to go inside, as it was starting to get rather cold. As soon as he walked in he saw a large men in a red jacket walking towards the elevator.

"It's Eggman," Knuckles said. Knuckles caught a glint of light reflecting off an object in his hand. "It's got to be a piece of the Master Emerald!" he said to himself. He knew that Eggman had long desired the Master Emerald, and it wouldn't surprise Knuckles if Eggman had gotten his hands on a piece of it, whether by chance or intention. But there was no time to think about it now. Knuckles began to run for the elevator, but the door had already closed. So he waited, tapping his foot impatiently. "Oh great," Knuckles thought to himself, "I'm starting to become like Sonic."

At last, the elevator came back down. Knukles quickly walked in. He scratched his head. Which floor could Eggman have gone to? He decided to start from the top and work his way down, so he pressed the button for the observation deck. The doors closed and the elevator started to move up. 

The elevator door opened. Knuckles stepped out onto the observation deck. Frankly, it reminded him more of a colosseum, what with the stone pillars and all. And with Eggman standing at the other end, it seemed as if they were about to start a duel to the death.

"Eggman," Knuckles said boldly, "hand over that piece of the Master Emerald!"

Robotnik turned around. "Knuckles" he said, with a trace of fear in his voice. Knuckles let a slight grin spread over his face. "Uh, this isn't what you're looking for." 

He held out a yellow jewel. Knuckles instantly recognised it as a Chaos Emerald. "Okay," he said. "But what are you doing with a Chaos Emerald?"

Robotnik snickered. "You shall see soon enough," he replied. "Chaos!" A puddle appeared near Robotnik. Out of it rose a creature familiar to Knuckles.

"It's him!" Knuckles gasped. "The one I saw when the Master Emerald was shattered!" Although Chaos now looked bigger than before, there could still be no mistaking it. "I should have known you had something to do with it, Eggman!"

"You're smarter than I give you credit for. But it was nothing against you. I did it so that I could at last have this power in my grasp. Watch!" With those words, he tossed the Chaos Emerald to Chaos. The emerald was instantly absorbed by Chaos. The creature then began transforming. It basically became a massive, hulking beast. "What do you think, Knuckles," Robotnik said gloatingly.

Knuckles raised his fists in defiance. "Changing shape won't scare me!" He watched Chaos carefully, letting it make the first move.

Chaos launched its arm out at Knuckles. Knuckles countered with a heavy punch. The two attacks met each other, causing a massive tremor. The floor and the pillars began to crack under the strain as both Knuckles and Chaos pushed, trying to overpower each other. Neither was giving in.

Then Knuckles felt water seeping over his fist. He was suddenly lurched into the air. Chaos had tricked him! But he had no time to think about it as he was sent crashing down into the floor. Before the dust could settle, Knuckles leapt out of the hole, charging straight at Chaos. Before the beast could react, Knuckles had let out a flurry of punches. But Chaos quickly used his other arm to swat Knuckles aside like a common fly. He was sent hurtling into the wall.

Knuckles staggered out. Chaos clearly had the advantage in this fight. He was bigger stronger, and seemed to be able to adjust his shape to deal with nearly any attack. Knuckles knew that he had only one chance. He tensed every muscle in his body. He was generating so much heat that he glowed red. "Here's a little trick I've been working on," he gasped. "Maximum Heat Knuckles ATTACK!"

Before anyone even knew what was going on, Knuckles was zipping around Chaos faster than even Sonic could manage. He was throwing punches left and right. There seemed to be ten of him, if not more. Chaos had absolutely no chance to recover or stop the constant attacks. Then Knuckles stopped moving. By now Chaos was swaying, barely able to stand. Robotnik's jaw had dropped. Knuckles pulled his arm back, tensed his muscles once more, and launched a lightning-fast punch at Chaos. The blow was so powerful that it sent Chaos flying into the air until it had vanished out of all sight. 

Robotnik's mouth was still wide open. He let out a few random words of gibberish, and then said clearly, "Well, Knuckles, it seems you're more powerful than I gave you credit for."

"Should I take that as a compliment or an insult?" Knuckles replied. He had now lowered his fists.

"A compliment." Robotnik closed his eyes, as if he were lost in thought, but he soon opened them again. "I'm glad you've come, regardless. I have something very important to tell you about Sonic."

"What is it?" Knuckles eyed Robotnik with suspicion. The scientist didn't exactly have a good reputation for telling the truth. 

"He's also searching for the pieces of the Master Emerald." 

Knuckles jumped at the mention of the Master Emerald. "What? Why would he want the pieces of the Master Emerald?"

Robotnik shrugged. "The hedgehog's reasons are unknown to me. Now if you don't mind, I have business to attend to." Robotnik walked back to the elevator. As the doors closed, Knuckles sat down. He was now very confused. He decided that he should talk to Sonic. Perhaps there was a good reason for him collecting the pieces of the Master Emerald. But he couldn't delay his own search. He would just have to hope that their paths crossed. He had a feeling that they would cross very soon.

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A/N: Okay, I know it is impossible for Knuckles to perform the Maximum Heat Knuckles Attack at this point of the game, but I just thought that it would work well in this battle. Also, I apologise if the scene with Tikal wasn't accurate, but I can't remember bits of it and I don't have a file that would allow me access to it at the moment. The next chapter will probably cover quite a lot, so don't miss it!


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